John Carlson

Carlson announced his retirement from football on May 5, leaving after one season with the Cardinals. With the seven-year veteran out of the picture, the team will instead count on 2014 second-round p...

After two years in Minnesota where he caught just one touchdown pass, Carlson comes to Arizona this season looking to have a bigger impact. The Cardinals also has Rob Housler, who is similar to Carlson, and neither is dominant. Carlson could nudge aside the incumbent Housler with a strong training camp. More likely, though, the duo will share targets in the Cardinals' base offense, which boasts two-tight end sets. Even if he earns a surplus of looks, he probably won't see more than the 57 targets that Housler had last year, accounting for just 10.7 percent of the team's targets. Carlson, who as rookie in 2008 set a franchise receiving record with the Seahawks, is athletic, runs tight routes, and at 6-5, makes for a good red-zone target (28 his first two years in Seattle). On the other hand, he dealt with multiple concussions last year before he was finally shut down in December.

2013

Carlson is likely to serve as the No. 2 TE behind Kyle Rudolph, which leaves him with little to no fantasy value in the Vikings' run-first offense.

2012

The Vikings will likely utilize frequent two-tight end sets with both Carlson and Kyle Rudolph on the field after Carlson was signed as a free agent in the offseason. It's not clear if either tight end will emerge as the primary target and the two may split the targets that normally go to tight ends. However, with a murky wide receiver situation after Percy Harvin, it's possible the Vikings may significantly increase passes thrown to tight ends.

2011

This time last year, Matt Hasselbeck was touting Carlson as a fantasy sleeper. But the Seahawks virtually ignored him last season after he previously played an important role in the Seattle passing attack. His eight red-zone targets were a far cry from the 14 he received the previous season. And his 58 targets were far off his 82-target career pace. In fact, in eight games last season, Carlson had no more than one reception and failed to catch a pass in two games. Carlson is a good athlete who runs crisp routes and can be an asset in the passing game. He likely won't figure any better into the offensive gameplan this season, though. The Seahawks, who have a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback, signed Zach Miller to be the starting tight end. If that leaves Carlson anywhere but out in the cold it will be a surprise.

2010

Carlson came within four receptions and 53
yards of his standout rookie campaign last year
and actually scored two more touchdowns, but
he didn't have the same fantasy impact last
season as he did in 2008. Carlson was largely a
victim of circumstance last season -- Seattle's
offense was awful, and it all but ignored the
tight end for weeks at a time. Nearly half (49.1
percent) of Carlson's 574 yards came in four
games. He averaged more than seven targets
per game in the first eight games, but then
disappeared. In seven of his last eight games,
Carlson totaled 11 receptions on 18 targets. He
found a bit of fantasy redemption in the last
four weeks, though, scoring a touchdown in
each game. But by then it was too late for
fantasy owners. As if all that didn't make Carlson enough of a question mark heading into this season, the Seahawks have a new regime in place under former USC coach Pete Carroll. If Matt
Hasselbeck's Tweets are to be believed, Carlson
will be used in the slot this season after the
Seahawks signed Chris Baker as their blocking
tight end. Hasselbeck called Carlson "this year's
fantasy sleeper." Perhaps, but this remains one
of the many unresolved issues for the Seahawks
offense.

2009

Carlson set single-season franchise records for receptions (55) and yards (627) by a tight end. He also scored five touchdowns off of 14 red-zone targets. This was truly a feat, given that starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck missed nine games. This year, Hasselbeck, Deion Branch and Nate Burleson should be healthy, and newcomer T.J. Houshmandzadeh will help open up the passing game for the Seahawks. While this means more mouths to feed overall, Hasselbeck guided former Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens to a career-year in Seattle a few seasons ago, so he does look for the tight end. Look for the Carlson to build on the 80 targets (11th for tight ends) he received during his rookie campaign, now that he has a healthier, more potent offense. Just keep in mind that Houshmandzadeh could cut into his red-zone looks.

2008

The Seahawks like to use their tight ends, but they didn't get much out of last year’s starter Marcus Pollard, who had just 35 targets and 28 receptions. With Pollard gone, 2008 second-round pick John Carlson will battle incumbent Will Heller and free-agent Jeb Putzier for the starting spot. Carlson, whose 100 receptions rank second in Notre Dame history among tight ends, has the most upside, and the Seahawks likely didn't draft him to be a backup. Whoever wins the starting job could see a decent amount of work. Seattle targeted its tight ends 15 times in the red zone last season.